


Sleeping Beauty

by supernovainparadise



Series: The Elf From the Primeval Thaig [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dragon Age 2 - Freeform, Just backstory, MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ACT 1, No shipping for this one, Red Lyrium, also
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 10:30:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17445200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernovainparadise/pseuds/supernovainparadise
Summary: Hawke and company are stuck in an ancient dwarven thaig somewhere in the deep roads, when they stumble across something far more valuable than the treasure and lyrium. They find a piece of living, breathing history. Literally.





	Sleeping Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> In which I completely break canon and add a new companion who eventually becomes Inquisitor to the series.

The thaig had an unearthly feeling to it. The only light came from ancient torches that still burned dimly, and the glow of red lyrium. The knowledge that they were leagues underground only made the alien place feel that much more unwelcoming. Merrill had taken to scuttling behind Fenris whenever she heard a strange noise, and Fenris had taken to glowing every time he heard a strange noise. Hawke was getting sick of listening to Fenris growling at Merrill, and Merrill squeaking in fear, and Varric muttering angrily under his breath. The sooner they got out of here, the better.

After what felt like hours of walking, and defeating rock monsters, and listening to his companions whine about how their feet hurt, or their arms hurt, or their feelings were hurt, Hawke decided to find somewhere off the main paths they'd been following that was safe enough for them to rest for the night, though he doubted any of them would sleep. After a little longer of walking, Hawke saw a door off to the side. He moved to push it open but it was much heavier than any of the other doors he had encountered in the thaig so far. He wondered if it was locked, but then he felt it shift a little, and open a crack. He ended up having to get Fenris's help, and together they managed to push the doors open.

At first, Hawke couldn't see anything, but as his sight adjusted to the dark, he saw that this room was different from any other in the thaig. While some of the lyrium here was red, or starting to turn red, the majority of it was still a bright, vibrant blue. The lyrium seemed to have been cultivated so that it only grew on the walls and ceiling, and not in pillars on the floor. The statues here were different as well, and Hawke stepped closer to one of them, Merrill on his tail.

"That's... that's an elven statue." He heard her breath, and upon closer inspection discovered that she was right.

"What's it doing down here?" Varric asked allowed. Merrill simply shook her head, having no answer.

"Perhaps..." Fenris said haltingly, "perhaps it has something to do with that." Hawke followed his gaze.

In the center of the room was a raised stone dais. As Hawke walked closer, details began to appear. For one, the bottom of the dais, the support, was carved from pure lyrium. Another thing was the dais was gilded with soft gold details, which seemed to have remained untouched for thousands of years. The stone appeared to be marble, and looked as though it had been shined just this morning. Something was carved in the side, written in Elven. But despite the fantastical quality of the dais was secondary to what lay on top.

Encapsulated in what looked like a magic barrier was an elf.

He looked to be maybe a little older than Hawke himself, perhaps in his late twenties. Freckles speckled his face, and his skin was tanned. He had no valaslin, and he was dressed in fabric Hawke had never seen. His hands were folded across his chest, and as they watched, they rose up and down with his breathing. He was alive. Despite this, his most striking feature was his hair; a long curtain of soft snow-white strands.

He heard Merrill gasp softly behind him. "He's... one of the ancient Elvhen..."

"Don't be ridiculous..." Fenris said, but there was no real malice in it. In fact, he sounded as enamored as Merrill did.

"How long do you think he's been down here?" he heard Varric ask behind him.

No one had an answer for him. Hawke slowly approached and reached out to touch the glowing barrier in front of him, hand shaking slightly. When his hand met the barrier, it simply stopped. No shock, or fire, or attack. Just stopped.

He sighed in relief and looked around. This room seemed to be the safest, provided the elf didn't get up while they rested and slaughter them all. They spread out and settled down, talking softly between themselves. All except Merrill, who seemed to be fascinated with the elf. Hawke spoke briefly to Varric, before moving to stand next to Merrill. They both gazed down at the elf, silent.

"How long do you think he's been here?" She asked.

Hawke shrugged. "I don't know. He certainly looks like one of the ancient elves." He watched the elf's chest rise and fall. "I wonder what he's dreaming about."

They stood there for a while, before finding their own spots in the room. Several hours later, they all began to move and wake again; it seems they all felt a little safer in this room, without the ominous glow of the red lyrium, and the oddly calming presence of the elf. They all glanced back at the dais, and turned to leave when...

"WAIT!"

Hawke and the others whipped around to look at Merrill, who had both hands somewhat raised.

"I can free him! I can take the barrier down and let him out." she said, looking between them.

" _Don't_." Fenris said adamantly. "It'll only lead to trouble. Not only do we know nothing about him, but he could potentially kill all of us."

Varric frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe, but you imagine the benefits? He's an  _ancient elf_ , he could know secrets to magic that no one has unlocked, or have answers to questions that have gone unanswered. If we didn't take him with, we'd lose a potential source of valuable information."

"Varric's right! Please let me free him Hawke!" Merrill said, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

Hawke looked between his companions, and then back at the elf, considering. After a moment, he nodded, and Merrill sprinted back over to the dais, the others following behind, but stopping a good distance before the barrier. Merrill muttered an incantation, and circled her hands. They began to glow bright with blue flames, and then she stepped forward, still muttering, hands still glowing, and laid her palms on the barrier. All was quiet, and the barrier slowly melted away, until it dissolved completely. The whole thaig seemed to become eerily quiet. ANd they watched as the elf stirred, and his eyes slowly blinked open. Merrill stifled a gasp; his eyes were the colors of the sunset, gentle pinks and oranges.

He slowly sat up, and blinked, taking in his surroundings and the people around him.

" _Iras am'ar?_ " he said softly, his voice the only noise in the space. He looked up, and made eye contact with Merrill. " _Ehn An'ma_ _?"_

"Oh, he's speaking elven! Although I think it's a different dialect..." she muttered to herself, before responding, " _Aram_ Merrill."

"Merrill?" he repeated, seeming to feel the sounds on his tongue.

" _Vin. Ehn An'ma?_ "

" _Ar Ame_ Aether _. Athlan em_ Sky."

" _Ellana Ma Dirtha_ common?"

He was quiet again for a moment, before saying "Do you mean the King's tongue?"

The other's stifled sighs of relief; communicating with Merrill as a translator was no ideal.

"Yes, exactly!" Merrill said, jumping up and down a little. "It's what most people speak now," she told him.

He smiled a little bit. "Looks like the stone children finally left their holes." He swung his legs over the edge, and turned to look at the rest of the crew. His eyes landed on Varric, and his smile grew. "Well, not all of them."

"Hey, I'm here involuntarily!" Varric objected, getting a soft laugh from the elf.

He looked at the others, and said "my name is Aether, though you may call me Sky. It's nice to see a few friendly faces, those have been in low supply since I left Arlathan."

* * *

"Wait." 

I paused and looked up. The seeker, as per usual, was scowling down at me. "Yes, seeker?"

"He can't possibly be from the days of Arlathan. That's.. ridiculous." Cassandra crossed her arms, a stony look on her face.

"It is." I agreed. "But it's true; Sky was an ancient elf. There was no other explanation as to why he was in the thaig. Ask him yourself, if you're that curious. Or ask Knight-Commander Cullen. He'll back me up."

Cassandra scowled and stepped back. "That's enough for tonight, dwarf." Then she bustled out of the room.

I grinned to myself, quietly hoping that she  _did_ find Sky; I'd like to watch that go down. Then, I stood and followed the Templar guards out of the room. I'd pick up the story tomorrow.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:
> 
> Iras am'ar? = Where am I?
> 
> Ehn An'ma? = Who are you?
> 
> Aram = Ar Ame = I am
> 
> Athlan em = Call me (Sky)
> 
> Ellana Ma Dirtha = Do you speak
> 
> Vin = Yes


End file.
